By The Grace of God

January 25, 2017

Day 25: The Blind Shall See:
"When Jesus heard them, he stopped and called, 'What do you want me to do for you?' 'Lord,' they said, 'we want to see!' Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes.  Instantly they could see! Then they followed him." —Matthew 20:32-34

In today's lesson Anderson suggests that we pray that God would grant us the ability to see the world through His eyes.  I actually have been praying for that because there seems to be so much hate and despair in the world. It's hard to see the good that may come from any of it.  Yesterday started out fairly well for me.  I read, wrote my blog post, prayed and felt a greater sense of hope. However, before long I was back to questioning everything from long held friendships, to the government's actions, to my ability to affect positive change.  I was thinking, maybe I should just get rid of Facebook and find other ways to be informed and connect with people.  I was overwhelmed by all the issues that I found alarming, and it was only day two of Trump's presidency. How can people not see what is really going on?  Do they really think he has America's best interest at heart?  Do they think because he says he is an excellent negotiator that he will get America the best deal in any given exchange?  I can't ignore what I have seen him do and heard him say.  I do not trust him or his cabinet.  Nearly each of his appointments' philosophies stand in stark contrast to the positions to which they are being appointed, which is a fact that I cannot ignore.  I cannot allow anyone to convince me that what I have seen with my own eyes and heard with my own ears did not happen, but that is exactly what he and his administration are trying to do.  Gaslight us all.  I'm trying to understand how people do not see what he is doing. Are they not seeing the same reports that I am seeing?  Are they not watching the interviews of his appointees and seeing for themselves how unqualified some of them are for the positions they hope to fill? How his appointees dodge questions and evade the truth?  Are they not listening to the briefings?  Do they not trust the reports if they do see them? Do they honestly think that his plans are good for all Americans?

I must stop myself from this line of questioning because honestly, it is not doing me any good. What I need to focus on is what I can do personally to be a part of the solution.  What can I do to best represent Christ through all of this?  I can bring hope to the hopeless.  I can help the needy, poor, and oppressed.  I can listen carefully and give generously. I can treat others better than I treat myself. I must not allow myself to "be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21). If I see injustice, I must peacefully act because as it says in James 4:17, "Anyone who knows the good that ought to be done and doesn't do it, sins."  We are our brother's keepers.  Above all, I must love, even those who I believe are against me and whose actions strike all that I hold dear. One may ask, "How can all of this be done?"  Truly, it is only by the grace of God.

The sketch above is a good reminder.
No one ever said it was going to be easy, only that it was going to be worth it.